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Most fertility clinics judge sperm quality by looking at its shape, speed and concentration under a microscope.

The new test checks for tiny breaks and tears in the sperm's DNA. Sperm damaged in this way is less likely to make a woman pregnant and, if she does conceive, she is more likely to miscarry.

The new test should cut the financial and emotional costs of repeatedly trying to start a family

A study by Professor Sheena Lewis, of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University Belfast, looked at 239 couples with unexplained infertility.

It found that 80 per cent had a detectable cause of infertility in the form of high sperm DNA damage.

Professor Lewis, a member of the executive committee of the British Fertility Society, said prompt and appropriate treatment could save money, heartache and – crucially – time.

She added: 'For almost one third of couples, until now, there has been no obvious cause for infertility and these couples are given the diagnosis of “unexplained fertility”.

These couples often invest a lot of time and money in fertility treatments, like intrauterine insemination, which are unlikely to be successful.

'Now that we have found the cause of infertility for these couples suitable treatments can be tailored which will direct them straight to the best treatment and increase their chances of having a baby.'

Many couples use IVF to try to start a family, at a cost of between £3,000 and £15,000 a course. But only one in four of the 40,000 women who have it each year will have a baby.

NHS patients will generally have to pay for the test, which is offered by several British clinics. It costs around a tenth that of an IVF cycle.

Dr Jane Stewart, of Newcastle Fertility Centre, said it was unclear whether it would increase the odds of having a baby.

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MEN are to blame for most cases of unexplained infertility - but a new test could help couples succeed